About

About Dr Craig Thomas

Lead Interior Designer | Senior Lecturer | Artist Researcher | Mentor

Dr Craig Thomas with his School Lecturer of the Year award
30+
Years Experience
1000+
Students Taught
7
Industry Awards
PhD
Qualified

Over the last 30 years, I’ve worked across high-profile design studios in London, delivered award-winning projects for national institutions and taught thousands of students, many of whom are successful designers across the world.

Starting from humble beginnings and leaving school with very few qualifications, I realised I needed to dedicate myself to my passion, creativity. I began to develop the idea of Object, Space and Experience, where Objects create Space and Space makes you Feel something. As I aimed to create projects that could give the user a potent experience, a key question central to all my projects became, ‘How does it make me Feel?’.

Energy - Fuelling the Future, Science Museum
Practitioner

As a Practitioner, I am a multi-award winning Interior Designer with a first-class BA(Hons) and eighteen years experience designing large-scale, prestigious design projects, such as London’s ‘Millennium Dome’. Specialising in the interpretation and translation of high profile design briefs into innovative, imaginative and award winning design solutions. ‘Energy – Fuelling the Future’, at London’s Science Museum, received four D&AD awards and the Design Week ‘Best Exhibition Design’ award.

Dr Craig Thomas teaching an interior design studio class
Educator

As an Educator, I believe that everyone is creative and with the correct guidance and support everyone could unearth their passion and unleash their true potential. I have helped thousands of students develop their individual Creative Practice and find their unique voices, this culminated in winning Lecturer of the Year at the Student Led Teaching Awards. Many of my students have also won awards and are now successful Interior Designers across the world.

Labyrinth installation
Artist Researcher

My PhD explored Perception, Embodiment and Phenomenology through creating body-focused, immersive environments. This helped me further develop the idea of Object, Space and Experience to create potent, powerful user experiences, which have been exhibited at Chapter Arts Cardiff, Wales Millennium Centre, Tactile Bosch, and Nottingham’s Bonington Gallery.

Interior Design Evolution Core Beliefs

My vision is rooted in a set of simple, powerful beliefs:

  1. I believe that Education, when delivered correctly, can be truly Transformative.

  2. I believe that everyone is Creative and with the correct Process, Mentor, Environment and Mindset, you can unearth your true talents and reach your full potential.

  3. I believe that it is crucial for creatives to have an individual Design Portfolio that clearly showcases who you are, what you can do and where you want to go.

  4. I believe that Interior Design is important for our culture, our society and our wellbeing, and the spaces we inhabit should be designed to be fit for purpose. After all, we spend around 90% of our lives in Interior space.

Why I Created Interior Design Evolution

I believe Interior Design starts with the knowledge and mastery of a set of skills, rules if you like. Just like all skills they can be learned through a process, and just like all rules they should be shaped as you evolve yourself into the Interior Designer that you want to be.

I have over 30 years experience in the field of Interior Design as a Practitioner and Educator, it is my mission to pass this knowledge on to the next generation of Creatives.

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Dr Craig Thomas with interior design students and their models Dr Craig Thomas with students holding their Arup Cardiff Design awards

Professional Background

Academic Roles

  • Senior Lecturer, BA(Hons) Interior Design and BA(Hons) Interior Architecture, Cardiff Metropolitan University (2004–2025)
  • External Examiner, BA(Hons) Interior Design, Norwich University of the Arts (2020–2024)
  • External Assessor, University of the Arts London, Chelsea College of Arts (2021–2022)
  • Validation Panel Member, Cardiff Met & Badr University (2020–2022)
  • Foundation Diploma Senior Lecturer, Cardiff Arts Academy (2011–2015)
  • Visiting Lecturer, University of South Wales (2014–2016)
  • Visiting Lecturer, Centre for Alternative Technology (2015)
  • University of Wales: Moderator to Interior Design course at Limerick Senior College (2005-2009)

Industry Roles

  • Casson Mann Designers, London: Lead Designer & Contracts Administrator (2000-04)
  • Work Design, London: Senior Designer (1999-00)
  • Jasper Jacob Associates, London: Designer and JJAA Academy Lecturer (1996-99)
  • Gordon Lewis Associates, Cardiff: Junior Designer (1996-96)
  • Paul Treweeks Architect, Cardiff: Junior Designer (1996-96)
  • Seymour Harris Partnership, Cardiff: Architectural Technician (1990-93)
  • Davis Llewelyn & Jones, Cardiff: Architectural Technician (1989-90)

Selected Design Projects

Qualifications

Awards & Recognition

BAFTA Interactive, D&AD, Design Week and IVCA Gold awards

Personal Awards

  • Lecturer of the Year Award in the Student-Led Teaching Awards (2021)
  • Highly Commended in the Student-Led Teaching Fellowships (2019)
  • Nominated by the students for a Student-Led Teaching Fellowship Award (2018)
  • D&AD Annual award, ‘Energy: Fuelling the Future’ gallery, Science Museum, London (2005)
  • D&AD Silver Nomination for Outstanding Achievement, ‘Energy: Fuelling the Future’ gallery (2005)
  • Design Week winner for Best Exhibition Design, ‘Energy: Fuelling the Future’ gallery (2005)
  • D&AD Annual award for the ‘Energy Ring’ at the Science Museum, London (2005)
  • D&AD Silver Nomination Outstanding Achievement, ‘Energy Ring’, Science Museum, London (2005)
  • D&AD Highly commended award: ‘Centenary Gallery’, Horniman Museum, London (1999)
  • D&AD Highly commended award: ‘African Worlds Gallery’, Horniman Museum, London (1999)

Student Awards

  • Women in Property South Wales Region Winners (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
  • Orangebox / W2W Design Competition ‘Winner’ and ‘Highly Commended’ (2019)
  • Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) ‘FADEx Overall Winner Award’ (2014)
  • Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) ‘FADEx Highly Commended Award’ (2014)
  • Cardiff Design Festival, ‘Welsh Graduate Design Award Winner’ (2010)
  • New Designers Show London ‘Spatial Design Top Prize’ (2008, 2009)
  • FormZ CAD Awards, ‘Interior Design CAD Winner Award’ (2008, 2009, 2010)
View Portfolio